Ian Ayre, the Liverpool managing director, travelled to Ukraine yesterday to
try to complete a £15 million deal for Yevhen Konoplyanka, but the club are
facing strong competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the Dnipro
Dnipropetrovsk winger.

Ayre has begun negotiations with Dnipro and hopes to agree a deal for the
24-year-old before tomorrow’s transfer deadline. Dnipro want about £16
million for the Ukraine player, whose contract has a year left to run.

The asking price has not deterred Liverpool, who are keen to strengthen
Brendan Rodgers’s squad having recently lost out to Chelsea in the race to
sign Mohamed Salah,